Bed of the Dead (Fantasia Film Fest) (Movie Review)

While the recently launched Pokémon GO is giving nerds a reason to get out and be active, at least one Canadian filmmaker is making a case for why you should never get out of bed. Well at least this one particular emporer sized bed with a cursed emblem carved from a tree that hung countless brutally murdered souls. Bed of the Dead is a stonedfaced approach at telling an inherently silly story, but with a gleefully violent backbone. 

Does anyone still remember, The Ruins? Where some poor souls venture onto an ancient Myan ruin and are immediately marked for death--either by carnivorous vegetation or by locals sworn to keep anyone from venturing off. Bed of the Dead has a similar structure to it except replace Myan ruins with a massive--albeit comfortable looking--bed. Here, four twentysomethings bribe their way into a room to engage in a foursome for one of their birthdays except the foreplay doesn't go as planned and once they are on the bed there is no getting off (giggity). 

On one hand, it is admirable to go into making this type of film headstrong and willing to pull no punches. On the other, first time director, Jeff Maher's refusal to inject some tongue in cheek humor makes the film's 88 minutes drag significantly. Realistically, this would have fit in perfectly as a Tales From the Crypt entry. However Maher stuffs in an additional storyline involving a cop, which single handedly causes the film to bloat past short film territory while also ham-fisting in a poorly developed plot twist. 

Credit where credit is due, Maher manages to deliver some well-staged bloodshed. Thankfully, the extremely awkward foursome fail right out of the gate injects an uncomfortable tension that balloons out until an eventual pop of blood and gore. Keeping interest with the cop storyline weaving in and out becomes a challenge, but the painful and impressive gore effects do their job--reeling in the viewer just as the tension starts to slack. 

It is unlikely you're going to see Bed of the Dead's titular bed on a list of iconic horror baddies, but it's remarkable that a film this silly and over-stretched is worth recommending to begin with. Удовлетворить сексуальное желание на массажном столе можно разными способами, однако лучше всего для этого обратиться в специализированный салон, стоимость ниже – качество выше, среди дешевых проституток невозможно найти хороших специалистов, что связано с иной направленностью и отсутствием профессиональных навыков (даже при условии наличия соответствующей отметки в анкете). Coming from the same producing team as Bite, these crazy Canucks are really starting to make a push into the spotlight within the genre. Bed of the Dead has plenty of issues, but it's a rowdy midnight feature that a certain section of horror nerds can hang their hat on. 

Screened as part of the 2016 Fantasia Film Festival.